When you get pregnant, many people have stories to tell of their own pregnancy however every pregnancy is different, so it doesn’t apply.

When you have your baby, everyone has advice and comments to make however every baby is different, so it doesn’t apply.

Overall you listen, discard what doesn’t work for you and apply what does. From speaking to other mothers, of which I seem to know a lot of all of a sudden, one thing we all have in common is one simple frustration: we don’t get a choice in what we do.

Some may say that we signed up to this when we decided to have a baby and yes, I suppose we did to an extent however most (and i say most) people have a partner whom they expect will be there to help. My husband is a great dad however he has a choice whether he gets up in the night to my sons crying, he has a choice if he feeds him, he has a choice if he changes his nappy. I don’t have a choice, because if he doesn’t do it, it comes down to me.

I will openly say that this is one thing that frustrates me about being a mother, especially in the dead of night when I’m bleary eyed and tired. This thought only occurred to me one night when i woke my husband up for his shift of feeding (I breastfeed so it’s the only shift he does, which i express for) and he sat up, said “I’m tired, can you do this one?” and promptly laid down and went back to sleep. That’s when I realised that he had a option, a choice, us mummies don’t.

Now don’t get me wrong, being a mummy is amazing and I love my son and enjoy doing things for him. However I wasn’t warned about this aspect of parenting and occasionally, it niggles me. Pregnant ladies, you have been warned.